Musical instrument



- Feb. 18, 1958 H. N. HEROD MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Nov. 25,1955

INVEN TOR. HENRY N5. HE'ROI:

ATT EN EYS United States Patent .0

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Henry N. Herod, Woodville, Tex. Application November 25, 1955, Serial No. 548,989 4 Claims. (Cl. 84-384) This invention relates to an improved wind instrument of the fife class.

Ordinarily, a fife or related musical instrument is so designed that the vent hole, through which emanates sound produced during the playing of the instrument when all the finger holes are closed, is defined by the open end of the wind tube.

Because of this conventional construction of a fife or related instrument (and in referring hereinafter to a fife it will be understood that this term includes any instrument of the same general characteristics) some of the sounds are directed upwardly through the finger holes, while others are directed horizontally, outwardly through the open end of the wind tube. This affects the listening qualities, since all of the sounds received by the ear do not come from the same direction and, in fact, are not of equal clarity at all times, or alternatively, may be muted in some instances by reason of direction of some of them out of the open end of the wind tube rather than upwardly through the finger holes.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a fife in which all sounds emanating therefrom are directed laterally of the wind tube, so that all of the sounds are heard with clarity and are projected evenly toward the listener.

Another object of importance is to provide a fife which, in one form, has a plurality of vent holes opening through the side wall of the wind tube, at diametrically opposite locations, these vent holes and the finger holes of the fife being so arranged that the sounds are directed not only forwardly from the player, but also rearwardly. This is of particular importance, for example, when bands play at athletic contests such as football games, and it is desirable that the sounds be heard by spectators both in front of and behind the band, when marching on a field.

Still another object is to provide a fife which has axial, integral extensions at opposite ends of the wind tube, so designed as to improve the tonal quality of the instrument by adding to the resonance of the produced sounds, the eifective length of the Wind tube, however, being limited to that of a conventional fife of equivalent pitch, by the provision of stoppers or partitions in the wind tube, one adjacent a tone or blow hole of the instrument and the other adjacent the vent hole or holes provided in the side wall of the wind tube.

Still another object is to provide a fife as described in which a balanced, weighted wind tube is provided, so designed as to be usable as a component part of a twirling baton. Though the claims to the invention are predicated upon the improvement in fife construction, it is to be understood that there is nevertheless envisioned the possible usage of the instrument as a member capable of being used as a baton and, perhaps, equipped with whistle means or the like at one or the other end thereof.

Yet another object of importance is to provide, in a fife construction, means adapted to provide reinforcement at the location of the tone hole, so as to improve the tone quality of the instrument by a strong wall formation of the wind tube in the area immediately surrounding the tone hole.

Still another object of importance is to provide in a fife of the nature referred to partitions or stoppers in the extensions and closing the ends of the wind chamber in which the sounds are produced, and to provide for initial adjustment thereof to selected locations longitudinally of the tube, whereby to form a fife chamber of a selected length for producing a particular tonal quality in the instrument.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fife formed according to the present invention, partly broken away;

Figure 2 is an enlarged contracted longitudinal sectional view on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of fife;

Figure 6 is an enlarged contracted longitudinal sectional view, portions being broken away, on line 66 of Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line 7-7 of Figure 5.

Referring in detail to the drawings, and first to Figures 1 to 4 thereof, the numeral 10 generally designates a fife formed according to the present invention. The fife comprises an elongated wind tube 11 preferably formed from a single piece of metal material, and open at its opposite ends. Closing the forward end of the wind tube 11 is a protective cap 12. Within the wind tube adjacent said cap is a forward stopper plug 14 which may be of any suitable material. The stopper plug, as Well as other plugs to be described hereinafter, may be formed of cork, metal, a plastic composition, etc.

Spaced longitudinally of the tube from the forward stopper plug 14 is an intermediate stopper plug 16, and close to and forwardly of the plug 16 the side Wall of the tube is provided with a forward vent hole 18. Ordinarily, in fife construction the vent hole is the open end of the tube, and accordingly, when the several finger holes 20, 22, 24, 26 rearwardly of the vent hole are all closed, the sounds emanate from the open end of the tube. In accordance with the present invention, however, all sounds are directed laterally from the tube, either upwardly or to the front or rear thereof, rather than in an axial direction.

Spaced forwardly from the rear end of the tube 11 a rear stopper plug 28 is positioned in the tube 11. Secured to the outer surface of the side wall of the tube adjacent the plug 28 is a transversely curved plate 30. The tube has a tone hole 32 formed in its side wall near to and forwardly of the plug 28, and the plate 30 has an aperture 34 in registration with the tone hole. As a result, a reinforced construction of the side wall of the tube is provided at the location of the tone hole, which strengthens the tube but improves the tonal quality of the instrument, since sounds directed through the tone hole and passing into the fife chamber, defined between stopper plugs 16, 28, in an area having a greater than normal wall thickness, produces a truer more fife-like tone.

It is to be noted that the tube 11 is of considerably greater length than the wind tube of a fife of equal pitch. The tube 11 has a fife chamber defined between 3 theplugs 16, 28, with said plugs being disposed at opposite'sides of the midlength point of the tube, well inwardly from the tube ends, so that the wind tube may be appropriately considered as having axial, integral extensions consisting of those portions of the tube between the plugs 16, 23 and the respective ends of the tube 11. These extensions provide a better balance of the instrument, and further, add to the tonal quality of the instrument. Still further, the instrument may be used for other purposes as a result of the elongated extensions, such as baton twirling.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 5 and 6, the construction is identical in all respects to that of the first described form, except that instead of a single vent hole 18, there is provided a pair of diametrically opposed vent holes 18a in the wind tube tea, the vent holes 18a being'angularly spaced about the circumference of the wind. tube 90 degrees from the longitudinal row of finger holes.

Further, it should be noted that instead of one or two vent holes, there may be an even greater number of vent holes formed in the side Wall of the tube. The construction shown in Figures 5 and 6 directs sound rearwardly from the instrument as well as forwardly, it being understood that any sounds emanating from the finger holes will of course, by reason of their being directed laterally, be directed rearwardly as well as forwardly.

Variousmodifications may be made in the instrument, of course, to produce an instrument of the fife class, but not necessarily in the form of a true fife. The number of finger holes may be changed, and for example, a thumb hole may be added, etc.

Still further, the use of vent holes on the side rather than on the end of the instrument prevents the vent holes from becoming clogged should the instrument be dropped at any time.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the 4,: means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A wind instrument comprising a tube having a forward end and a rear end, said tube having a side wall, a forward stopper plug closing the forward end of the tube, an intermediate plug in the tube near to and spaced from said forward plug, a rear stopper plug in the tube near to and spaced from the rear end of the tube, the rear end of the tube being open, a line of spaced finger holes in said side wall between and spaced from said rear plug and said intermediate plug, a tone hole in the side wall near to and spaced forwardly from said rear plug, and vent hole means in said side wall near to and spaced rearwardly from said intermediate plug, said tone hole. and vent means being spaced from related ends of the line of finger holes.

2..A wind instrument according to claim 1 wherein said vent means comprises a single vent hole.

3.-A-wind instrument according to claim 1 wherein said vent means comprises a single vent hole in line with the line of finger holes.

4. A wind instrument according to claim 1 wherein said vent means consists of two diametrically opposed and aligned vent holes.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 444,830 Guenther Jan. 20, 1891 801,086 Jenks Oct. 3, 1905. 956,504 Pinelli Apr. 26, 1910 1,618,892 Skinner Feb. 22, 1927 2,257,145. Zimmerman Sept. 30, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 12,307 Great Britain Nov. 2, 1848 2,563 Great Britain Dec. 7, 1895 335,718 France Dec. 12, 1903 102,763 Australia Dec. 16, 1937 

